Career stagnation: Underlying dilemmas and solutions in contemporary work environments.

Publication Details

Author(s): Abele A, Volmer J, Spurk D

Editor(s): Reilly Nora P., Sirgy M. Joseph, Gorman C. Allen

Title edited volumes: Work and quality of life: ethical practices in organizations. International handbooks of quality-of-life.

Publisher: Springer Science + Business Media

Publishing place: New York

Publication year: 2012

Pages range: 107-132

ISBN: 978-94-007-4058-7

Language: English

Abstract

Most people experience phases in which they do not move ahead or in which they feel that they are not making career progress. These phases can be factual, for example, when someone does not get promoted; they can also be a subjective interpretation, for example, when a person has unrealistic career goals, or a generally pessimistic worldview. In this chapter, we are concerned with career stagnation as the involuntary—at least temporary—end of one's career development. Career stagnation has a negative impact on a person's quality of life. This negative impact will be the stronger the longer this career stagnation is experienced and the more a person feels unable to overcome it. Career stagnation will become a dilemma when an individual is not able to cope with it and/or if every means of dealing with career stagnation has both desired and undesired consequences. This chapter deals with dilemmas associated with career stagnation and thereby focuses on objective (e.g., promotion stagnation) and subjective (e.g., dissatisfaction) aspects of career stagnation. In the first section of the chapter, specific person-level and interpersonal-level dilemmas (self-efficacy-related, goal-related, attitude-related, dual-career-related) are identified and possible influences on objective and subjective career stagnation will be addressed. In the second section of the chapter, specific organization-level dilemmas (lack of support, bullying/mobbing, stereotypes/discrimination) are identified and again influences on objective and subjective career stagnation are addressed. In the third section of the chapter, interventions to overcome these dilemmas will be presented (e.g., self-efficacy and self-management trainings, career counseling, mentoring, anti-mobbing/anti-bullying strategies, recruitment strategies for dual-career couples, and antidiscrimination strategies). Throughout this chapter, we will refer to unethical behavior as the injury of the employees' rights of balance, respect, responsibility, autonomy, participation, justice, and voice. More specifically, we will identify topics in which these rights may be ignored easily by the employer and/or the employee, and we will give recommendations on how to deal with these potentially unethical workplace situations. Further topics that may be relevant in regard to career stagnation such as job insecurity, unemployment, or dead-end jobs will not be discussed as they are beyond the scope of this chapter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)